August 21st, 2006 12:00am
I'm sure Grand Valley coach Chuck Martin will cringe when he reads this, but discussing the matter is unavoidable at this point: The Lakers now officially qualify as a Division II football dynasty. Over the last five years the Lakers have gone 65-5, reached the national championship game four times, and won three titles. They've done it with different head coaches, different players, and completely different styles of play. Success is becoming so routine that GVSU fans no longer need a map to find their way around Florence. Well, this season the bull's eye is once again on the Lakers' backs. GVSU returns nine starters from last year's dominating defense. Cullen Finnerty is back for a fourth season as the Lakers' starting quarterback and he is surrounded by weapons on offense. Not since the 2002 Lakers has there been such a heavy preseason favorite in D-II. This isn't to say that every other team is playing for second. The ball can bounce funny; key players can get hurt? heck maybe GVSU just plain gets bored and forgets to show up one Saturday in the playoffs. But with as well coached and disciplined as the Lakers are, I wouldn't count on it. It will take a very good team playing at a very high level to prevent GVSU from winning a fourth national title this fall. A region by region look at how I see Division II stacking up in 2006: Northeast Region Last season's region champion (East Stroudsburg) returns Harlon Hill Trophy winning quarterback Jim Terwilliger. Bloomsburg brings back several key players from last year's 11-1 team, including another Harlon Hill finalist in running back Jamar Brittingham. Shepherd also returns the bulk of its 11-1 WVIAC championship squad. So obviously one of those three teams would be the clear favorite to represent the Northeast in the national semifinals, right? Not so fast. I want to introduce the D2 football world to the California Vulcans. Cal had been a football doormat for most of the last two decades. But under 4th year head coach John Luckhardt, Cal has gradually improved its program and last season won the PSAC West, just missing the playoffs with an 8-2 record. Well this season, the Vulcans are loaded on both sides of the football. 10 starters return to an offense that averaged 42 points per game. Defensively Cal also returns 10 starters to a unit that gave up just 272 yards per game. Cal is loaded and is the team I'm anointing as the preseason favorite to win the region. A top challenger to California should be the West Chester Golden Rams. WCU won the region and reached the semifinals in 2004, then reached the playoffs again last season with a very young team, despite losing star running back Osagie Osunde to a knee injury in the third game of the season. Osunde is back healthy and the added year of experience for the Rams could spell trouble for opponents. C.W. Post put the Northeast-10 on the map by winning the first playoff games in league history last fall. The Pioneers return 17 starters including sophomore running back Anthony Lazarus (1494 rushing yards, 17 touchdowns), but the loss of sensational dual threat Rob Blount at quarterback may make duplicating last season's regional final appearance a tall order. This is a big year for the WVIAC because Shepherd appears to have the kind of team (16 returning starters) capable of finally getting the conference back in the playoff win column. Safety Dan Peters spearheads a very solid defensive unit for the Rams. With all of this talk of other teams, I'm still not totally discounting the chances of East Stroudsburg or Bloomsburg. But ESU returns just Terwilliger and top receiver Evan Prall from last season's record-setting offense and Bloomsburg has some significant holes to fill on both sides of the football. With individual talents like Terwilliger and Brittingham though, both teams should be right in the playoff hunt. Other things to keep an eye on in the Northeast this season: -For the first time in two decades, a new coach will be roaming the sidelines at Indiana (PA) following the retirement of Frank Cignetti. The interesting part is that the man taking over the Northeast's most recognizable program is none other than Lou Tepper, formerly the coach of PSAC West rival Edinboro. Both teams have a fair amount of talent returning this fall and it will be interesting to see how the change affects the two programs. -Tony DeMeo appears to be building something special at Charleston. In just the school's third year back in the WVIAC after restarting its football program, UC went 8-3 last fall. With 16 returning starters for this year, good facilities, and among the most scholarship money in the conference, UC might be a program to keep an eye on in the region this year and into the future. -C.W. Post, Bentley, and Southern Connecticut State of the Northeast-10 have all gradually built programs capable of being competitive in the region come playoff time. But the rest of the conference lags far behind. Is this the year a team like Bryant turns the corner and competes for a playoff spot? Northwest Region If I'm going to predict another national title for Grand Valley, it goes without saying that the Lakers are the heavy favorites to repeat as region champs again this year. Everything seems to be working in the Lakers favor-- from the immense amount of returning talent (a couple of spots on the offensive line are the only real question marks) to a schedule that doesn't feature a significant road test. It will be a major surprise if the Lakers aren't in Florence again come mid-December. Picking a team with the best shot of derailing GVSU in the region is easy: North Dakota is the only team in Division II that has beaten the Lakers in the playoffs over the past five seasons (in 2001 and 2004). The Sioux are rebuilding defensively after graduating several standout players, but they return three offensive starters that missed last season with injuries and will have their most potent offense in the Dale Lennon era. Nebraska-Omaha, South Dakota, St. Cloud State, Central Washington, and Minnesota-Duluth all also have playoff potential from the NCC. Saginaw Valley, Ashland, and Northwood will be the main threats to Laker supremacy in the GLIAC. All three teams have tremendous talent on the defensive side of the ball: Ashland returns 10 starters from a defense that was second in the country in points allowed last fall and SVSU has one of the most dominant defensive players in D-II in senior nose tackle Damion DeRosia. I expect that two of those three teams will join GVSU in the postseason. Winona State was in rebuilding mode last year, but I think it's likely that you'll see the Warriors back in the playoffs this fall. WSU doesn't have the overall depth or talent to win this region, but a playoff win or two isn't out of the question. Other things to keep an eye on in the Northwest this season: -Central Washington has been dominant in the GNAC, but how will that translate to playing in the NCC? The Wildcats have a talented young team that has done well against top D-II competition in the past, but I think it will take time to adjust to the rigors of an NCC schedule week after week. -If there is the perfect coach to return Northern Michigan to respectability, it's Bernie Anderson. Anderson is now coaching the Wildcats after leading rival Michigan Tech for the past two decades. NMU doesn't have enough talent to compete this year, but watch for signs that the program is headed in the right direction as the season goes along. -The Northern Sun took a step back last year by failing to have a team reach the playoffs for the first time since 2000. It will be interesting to see if last year was a just a blip on the radar or if the conference's upward progression has stalled. Southwest Region Since the region realignment two years ago, the Southwest Region has essentially served as pseudo MIAA title game. Pittsburg State and Northwest Missouri State have played each of the last two seasons for the regional title with each team winning once. This season should be no different as I think it's likely that the five best teams in the region are in the MIAA. After last season's national championship game appearance, I'm tabbing NWMSU as the favorite once again in the region. The Bearcats should be among the top teams in the nation defensively and if the offensive line can develop to match the skill position talent, it's not hard to envision NWMSU getting back to Florence. The other MIAA teams with the potential to make a playoff run are Central Missouri State, Washburn, Missouri Western, and Pittsburg State. CMSU has perhaps the top pure passer in D-II in senior quarterback Toby Korrodi, plus the Mules have been on the cusp of breaking through and becoming a regular playoff participant for several years now. Washburn won the MIAA outright for the first time last season and returns a solid, veteran team. Missouri Western returns 10 defensive starters and 1800 yard rusher Jeremiah White from last year's 8-3 club. And if Pitt State can improve upon last season's "un-Gorilla-like" 26 points per game allowed, star running back Germaine Race (more on him later) and the PSU offense have more than enough firepower to make another appearance in Florence. West Texas A&M was "the story" in D-II football last year. After years of being a doormat, Don Carthel took over as the head coach and led a stunning turnaround of the Buffalo program. WTAMU won the LSC South Title, captured the top seed in the Southwest Region for the playoffs, and led the nation in attendance (over 14,000 per game). Ultimately, WTAMU's defensive weaknesses were exposed by Pitt State in a 41-3 playoff loss, but with the returning talent and the quality transfers Carthel has brought in this off-season, the Buffaloes would seem like one of three LSC teams (Tarleton State and Texas A&M Kingsville being the others) with the ability to challenge in the region. Other things to keep an eye on in the Southwest this season: -The RMAC has been an unpredictable league with its last three champions (Mesa State in 2003, Colorado Mines in 2004, and Nebraska-Kearney in 2005) being rather unexpected. Who will come out of nowhere this season to win the conference and reach the postseason? -The new regional alignment has not been kind to the LSC, with its teams routinely being pounded in the playoffs by (mostly) MIAA competition. Will the LSC raise its overall level of play and get competitive with the MIAA or will the domination continue? -The MIAA has a tremendous concentration of great running backs with Race, White, NWMSU's Xavier Omon, and Washburn's Trent Hearn. Stopping the run will be at a premium in the conference this fall. Southeast Region This region may be the most entertaining to watch simply because the schools typically associated with most of the success over the past decade (Valdosta State, North Alabama, and Carson-Newman) all suffered significant personnel losses. I'm still certain that with all of the overall talent in the region, at least one team will emerge as a national title contender as the season goes along. But who will it be? If I had to tab one team as the regional favorite at this point, it would be Delta State. The Statesmen have reigning Gulf South offensive player of the year Scott Eyester back to lead a potent offense that features 10 returning starters. DSU needs to improve defensively (26 points allowed per game last year), but with nine returning starters on that side of the ball and a more favorable schedule (both UNA and VSU must come to Cleveland), I think this is the year the Statesmen break through and make their first big playoff run since winning the 2000 national title. Of course North Alabama and Valdosta State also promise to be in the mix come playoff time. UNA must replace several starters on both sides of the ball but senior receiver Anthony Merritt (2251 all-purpose yards) is a great talent to build around. The Blazers return 13 starters from last year's 9-3 team, but are relatively young overall. If VSU can gel as the season goes along, the talent is definitely there to go deep into the playoffs. Despite being picked second in their own conference (behind Carson-Newman) in the preseason coach's poll, Presbyterian would seem like the logical choice as the SAC team most likely to do damage come playoff time. The Blue Hose (now playing their final season of D-II competition) don't overwhelm you with overall talent but play smart team football (just 45 penalties in 12 games last year). Presbyterian returns 17 starters to their 10-2 SAC championship team. North Carolina Central would appear to once again be the class of the CIAA while Albany State is the favorite to win a fourth straight SIAC title. Neither of these conferences has faired well in past postseasons, but both of those teams would appear to have the talent this year to be very competitive in the playoffs. Other things to keep an eye on in the Southeast this season: -The return of Bobby Wallace. Wallace, of course, led North Alabama to three straight national titles in the mid-90's before moving on to coach Division I-A Temple. Well now Bobby is back in the Gulf South at UNA rival West Alabama. UWA has been a conference bottom feeder for a couple of decades now, but I wouldn't bet against Wallace turning the Tigers around in the next couple of years. -Newberry. The Indians are among the smallest schools in the nation playing Division II football and have struggled for years in the SAC. But the Josh Stepp to Tymere Zimmerman passing connection is one of the most dangerous in D-II and this Indian team appears to have the talent to challenge for the conference title. If a there is a team in the region to watch as a major dark horse, Newberry might be it. -No conference in D-II packs the stadiums quite like the SIAC. With Benedict now sporting new digs and the conference getting better overall from top to bottom, look for attendance figures in that conference to continue to be very impressive. The "Split" The proposal to divide Division II into two separate football divisions is officially on the agenda for the 2007 NCAA convention. If you haven't been following the story, this is big picture of how the split would work: The lower division would have a maximum of 18 scholarships and would be granted eight playoff spots. The upper division would still have the current maximum of 36 scholarships and have 16 playoff spots. My personal opinion is that this measure won't have enough support to pass, but it is an interesting concept and one that definitely merits talking about as we move through the season. I plan on getting more into what I see as the positive and negative ramifications of a potential split in future columns. The Harlon Hill Race Only once between 1993 and 2004 did the Harlon Hill Trophy go to an underclassman. In 2000, Valdosta State quarterback Dusty Bonner won the HHT as a junior and then successfully "defended" the award by again winning as a senior in 2001. This season, East Stroudsburg senior quarterback Jim Terwilliger has a chance to join Bonner and legendary Texas A&M-Kingsville running back Johnny Bailey as the only players in Division II history to win the award multiple times. As I mentioned earlier, the problem for Terwilliger is that much of the supporting cast that helped him win the award last year is no longer around. ESU returns just three offensive starters which will make racking up Harlon Hill caliber numbers a tall order this year. The man who finished third in the voting last year (Bloomsburg running back Jamar Brittingham) also returns for his senior season and is surrounded by a solid supporting cast. Look for Brittingham to once again be right in the mix. But I think the favorite going into the season has to be Pittsburg State senior running back Germaine Race. After a sensational season as a sophomore in 2004, Race missed some playing time do to injuries last season and "only" racked up 1846 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns. With a powerful and experienced offensive line leading the way, I think this year Race will put up numbers too impressive for the voters to ignore. Other players on my preseason watch list: Delta State quarterback Scott Eyester, South Dakota running back Stefan Logan, and Grand Valley quarterback Cullen Finnerty. A Pair of Nice Additions One of the main complaints of the prominent D2 schools over the last few years is that the constant influx of teams from the NAIA or Division III has "watered down" the division and lowered the overall level of play. Undoubtedly, that opinion does have some merit. But this fall Division II is fortunate enough to be adding a pair of schools-- Dixie State College and the University of Mary-- that not only have the potential to succeed in football at this level, but are being proactive in reaching that goal. Dixie State (located in St. George, Utah) has already gained NCAA approval to host a Division II postseason bowl game. The Rebels have the facilities, the scholarship money, and the location to excel once they get their feet under them. DSC has a history as a Junior College power in football and I believe the Rebels will eventually become a very good program at the D2 level as well. The University of Mary (Bismarck, ND) is moving in from the NAIA where the Marauders were a power (10 playoff appearances in the last 12 years). But the D2 landscape is littered with former NAIA powers that have become D2 afterthoughts. So what makes U-Mary different? Well, there are new helmets and practice equipment, a new pep band, a new dance team, and a new weight room. There is the fact that the Marauders will enter the NSIC with the maximum number of scholarships allowed by the conference. And if all of that wasn't enough to show that U-Mary is committed to raising the stature of its program, the school also signed a new radio contract with one of the most powerful AM signals in the country and has a deal in place to have two games televised live this fall. Division II could use more new schools like these that are willing to put the effort into being successful. I'm sure all the other D2 fans out there would join me in welcoming these two schools to the division. Mailbag I added a mailbag section to my Northwest Region column last year and it was popular with the readers, so I'd like to continue with it this season on the national level. Email me those questions or comments and let's get it started next week! |